Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year, my dears! Eep...can somebody tell me how it got to be 2011 already? Equally important (or perhaps more?) I'm wondering how long it'll be before I remember to write the correct year on things. Like I was lining up a few drafts for upcoming posts yesterday, but damn it they kept disappearing! Ditz that I can be, it was 10 minutes before I realized they'd been shoved back in 2010. I guess I'm in for some "fun" times until I adjust... =).

That issue aside, it's funny how time moves by so fast these days as opposed to when I was younger. Now there's too often little chance to savor the sweet moments. Which is yet another reason I'm thankful to have this site and all of you. Not only can I share my passions and personal adventures here, but your responses and our interactions become wonderful new experiences in and of themselves that are all saved. I just spent an afternoon flipping through the posts of last year. My favorite 6 are listed below -- I hope you remember (or discover) them as happily as I did!

Buuuut you didn't think I'd start off the New Year without a new dish now, did ya? One of my resolutions is to tackle my to-try recipes list, which has become quite a beast! It includes fancy treats like the infamous macaron, but I decided to start slow with these easy, versatile popovers. If you've never had one, popovers are light, hollow rolls with golden crusts and soft insides. Their buttery, eggy (in a good way) flavor pairs wonderfully with jam and cream, honey, or simply a smear of butter. They're also a versatile canvas for playing with other flavors; for example, I plan to try a savory herb and cheese variation mmm. The recipe is at the end of this post if you'd like to give it a go yourself :).

Finally, it's on to the list! Thank you all for making 2010 a year to remember here at 6 Bittersweets! I'd love to hear what you'd like to see more of in 2011, and I'm so excited to share even more yummy goodness with you through the New Year!

4. Spiked Spaghetti with Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce - My boyfriend's been scarfing this down and asking for more for so long that I can't believe I only just thought to share this. It doesn't taste like alcohol, but the vodka really adds something special to the sauce.

3.Browned Butter Pizzookies with Pecans - It wasn't until I published this post that I realized so many of you had never heard of pizzookies. These babies are quick to whip up and are just full on nutty buttery gooey chocolate-y goodness. I dare you to go back to regular cookies after ;p.

2.Mangomisu Trifle Cake - Although this was a gorgeous Delicious magazine cover recipe, I didn't expect mine to turn out nearly as pretty or tasty as it did. With all that fruit and creamy mascarpone, this cake wasn't cheap but was worth.every.penny.

1.S'mores Cupcakes - I almost didn't make these cuppin' cakes due to illness, but thank goodness I decided to soldier on because these are the best cupcakes I've made or eaten to date. And I welcome any excuse to wield my torch and unleash the inner pyro (mwahaha) 8D.

In a large bowl, mix flour and salt together. In a small bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add egg mixture and melted butter into flour mixture. Mix everything together well by hand or using a blender, food processor, or stand mixer. If your batter is lumpy, pour it through a strainer to remove the lumps. The batter will be quite thin, similar to the consistency of crepe batter. Pour batter into greased popover or muffin pan or standalone baking cups so that each cup is half filled. If using standalone cups, set them on a cookie sheet for baking.

Bake for 25 minutes, without opening the oven door. By that time, the popovers should have popped and should be nicely browned. At this point, lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes to dry out the insides. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and enjoy with your meal!

45 comments:

What a great round up of last year's reacipes Xiaolu! All them are my favorite (seriously)!Your post just made me ask myself that when am I gonna go hit that huge list of my "gotta try" recipes. Maybe sometime this year :-)Happy New Yr to you girl!

Those popovers...oh my goodness do they look GOOD! I have never had one, but I'd love to start with one of yours:) I loved the owl cupcakes and the pizzookies the first time around, and I still do! Happy New Year!

I loved your blog before but it was your pizzookies that I still fondly remember... or and also the beautiful mangomisu trifle cake... oh of course the pasta too... ah! Thanks for taking us down memory lane... I'm pretty sure the pop overs will be unforgettable too!

OH the pop over.. oh my, oh my..is that with clotted cream too? I LOVE popovers.. have you had them with cream or custard inside? I like the hashi holder as well.... I really want to give the owls a try, would you mind me borrowing your recipe?

What a gorgeous post to start in 2011!! I wish I owned a popover pan so I could try these beauties. I immensely enjoyed reading your blog in 2010; yours is one of my favorites! Your photography is beyond beautiful. The oreo owl cupcakes were one of my favorite posts too!

I notice many of you commenting that you don't have a popover pan, and NEITHER DO I :). I just used standalone paper baking cups. You could also use souffle cups or even just a greased muffin pan. You won't get as much pop as with the traditional pan, but I hope this enables more of you to try this recipe!

Wish you a very happy new year with joy and good food in the coming year!:-DThat means we get to drool too!My favourites are the Oreo Owls and the Mangomiso Trifle Cake; am not a fan of oreos but these are too good!

I've never tried making popovers but I really really should. They look so delicious! Also, I tried out the vodka cream sauce recipe tonight and Boy ate his first serving by the stove so he could take another serving before sitting down. It was soooo yummy. Happy New Year, Xiaolu!

I definitely remember some of those recipes..unforunately I wasn't following you at the beginning of 2010 so I missed some. Those owl cupcakes made me literally squeal...they are ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! My sister would love them because she loves owls..I think I'll have to surprise her.

I do love a good popover. Can you believe I've never eaten a sweet version? Always savory. Even with a basic recipe, they always seem to work their way into a lunch or supper line-up, either eaten plain, stuffed with smoked meat and BBQ sauce, etc. I'll have to save some next time for breakfast or brunch, and try with cream and jam!

Alicia - It may be a little while, but I'll definitely try to post a photography set-up shot for you. Unfortunately, I only have one camera, so I wouldn't be able to show the camera in the shot, but my tripod should give a sense of the general position. And of course thanks so much for the award. You definitely deserved the one you got, and as I've said before, I'm so glad you're back!

Loooooooove popovers and yours look so cute! A savoury herb and cheese ones sounds like it would be amazing. I've never thought of eating them with jam or butter or cream. Growing up we always ate them with a roast beef dinner. (I don't eat roast beef anymore but am always excited when my mom makes that dinner because I know it means popovers!) We always called them Yorkshire puddings, though now my mom makes them with oil so really they're popovers. I love all 6 of your favourite dishes, especially the owl cupcakes.